The Star Tribune included an article on Monday about Hennepin County's work to reduce recidivism through a cooperate effort by the sheriff’s department, judges, public defenders, social workers and hospital powered by data. Here is the link: http://www.startribune.com/pol...local/291341891.html. The HUP team can connect interested researchers with the appropriate staff at the County to learn more.

The Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the University is now accepting applications for the Community Health Collaborative Grants Program, and anticipates awarding a total of approximately $325,000 to 5-6 proposals. This funding program supports community-university pilot research projects that address important health issues identified by Minnesota communities. Mandatory letters of interest are due by Feb. 19, 2015.

The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) supports community-based efforts that lead to increased engagement, power and influence of community members affected by racial, social and economic disparities. The Neighborhood Partnership Initiative and Artist Neighborhood Partnership Initiative program are currently seeking letters of interest. The deadline is January 15, 2015.

Several $10,000 grants will be made to neighborhood groups through these programs. If you're working with a neighborhood or community group that could use a grant, encourage them to check this out!

University of Minnesota researcher Leon Assael's comments were included in The New York Times on the most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S.-tooth decay. Dental disease is connected to many health problems. The article proposes increasing access through dental therapists. Check it out!

Hennepin County Public Affairs Director Carolyn Marinan reporting in on 2 great communication related events at the University of Minnesota!

Last Thursday I was honored to be part of the College of Liberal Arts alumni/student speed-networking event. There was so much good energy and great questions! I was very impressed with how ready many students are for their futures after school!

Saturday morning I was thrilled to be paired up with School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) student Marc Patnode for the 2014-2015 SJMC Alumni Society Mentor Program. We were introduced at the annual kick-off breakfast. The room at the McNamara Center was packed with alum and students raring to go! Thanks to alum and SJMC president Mary Tan for inviting me on board. Great opening comments from SJMC Director Al Tims and comments from other participants!

The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) is always looking for ways to work effectively with communities in our metro area - particularly those that have been traditionally under-represented.

A recently launched program called CURA: Tech emerges from the belief that technology has the power to transform communities. Several projects have already been undertaken, including one to help citizens access info about things happening at the city level (Mpls) that fits with each person's interests. Learn more here - http://www.cura-tech.org/about.php

Hennepin County Public Affairs director, Carolyn Marinan, participated in an evening class with communication studies majors where she talked about her work and advised students on what she looks for when hiring communications staff. She emphasized 3 things: passion for the work, willingness to work hard, and curiosity. Students were very receptive to this message, and thanked Carolyn for her insights and her commitment to U students.

if you like knowing 'the latest' about research, the U has a new user-friendly interface for their interactive site, "Inquiry". Inquiry serves as a platform to explore the impact of university research and tap into the collective knowledge of the U of M’s research community.

Did you know that the College of Continuing Education at the U offers conference services and program planning? They have shared a great event/conference planning checklist that could be a helpful resource when you're planning your next event or conference!

For more information about the College of Continuing Education's conference and program planning, check out their website.

At the HUP's Working with Students Workshop on July 10, 2014, Hennepin County employees learned about the different ways to work with students. They also identified four main barriers to working with students in their departments:

1. Insufficient staff capacity to oversee a student project

2. Time - typically don't have time to scope a student project, hire and oversee work

3. Difficulty in identifying and scoping projects that would be a good fit for a student

4. Funding - difficult to get funding for students into the departmental budget

This is a place where U researchers, staff, and students can post interests related to local government, particularly, Hennepin County, and vice versa. Participants can pose questions, offer suggestions, refer people to materials and contacts, and generally exchange ideas.